Repository research has a long tradition at ITAS. Based on their previous work, in the project TRANSENS the institute’s experts now deal with the question of how citizens can be better involved in independent repository research.

How can research and innovation projects in industry be designed economically, sustainably, and responsibly at the same time? The European PRISMA project with the participation of ITAS has developed practical guidelines.

The European TA community has launched “global TA” to cross-link beyond the continent’s borders. The network was now presented at the 4th European TA Conference in Bratislava. Initiators and members shared their motivations and visions in a video.

Self-developed systems promise a better quality of life for type 1 diabetics. In a pilot project of the Helmholtz Association, researchers support those affected in evaluating their technology themselves.

“Climate protection – let’s dare it together!” – the District Future project will support 100 households in Karlsruhe in integrating climate-friendly behavior into their everyday lives. The collective self-experiments start on 29 October 2019.

On 19 and 20 September 2019, ITAS opens its doors to pupils, students, and those interested in its work. They are invited to find out more about approaches for better climate protection and more sustainability and discuss these topics with researchers.

A team of researchers at ITAS is part of the Cluster of Excellence 3D Matter Made to Order. With a view towards visions of the future, the team assesses the societal implications of 3D printing technologies and engages in dialogue with society.

In her PhD project at ITAS, Maike Puhe examines how personal networks affect mobility decisions. Her results will be incorporated into an agent-based travel demand model developed at KIT.

The FUTUREBODY research project, coordinated by ITAS, deals with the potential and increasingly real technologization of humans. Its transdisciplinary approach includes a film festival, which is open to submissions of work until the end of July.

On 23 and 24 May, ITAS opens its doors to pupils, students and those who are interested in its work. They are invited to find out more about approaches for a better climate protection and more sustainability and discuss these topics with researchers.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research uses a foresight process to identify and analyze technological and societal trends. As a member of the Future Circle (“Zukunftskreis”), Armin Grunwald accompanies the third foresight cycle.

In cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute, Leuphana University, and Ecornet, ITAS has established the “Network of Real-World Labs for Sustainability”, a platform for and about real-world labs that research, and act in line with, sustainable development.

Visions of “conscious” machines are accompanied by either euphoric enthusiasm or dystopian warnings. To demystify the topic, ITAS scientists want to analyze current discourses and create a common knowledge base.

Sustaining urban green is fundamental to human well-being as growing cities face increasing impacts from climate change and pollution. A new BMBF-funded project led by ITAS will develop strategies for increasing resilience of city trees and urban forests.

The combination of artificial intelligence, modern human genomics, and genome editing could enable new therapies for diseases, but also non-medical “genetic improvements”. ITAS analyzes the consequences and develops options for action.

With hacked insulin pumps, a growing community wants to better meet the needs of people with type 1 diabetes. A PhD project sheds light on the background of the jointly developed alternative to established medical technology.

The innovative use of renewable energies could have significant ecological, economic and social benefits for Mexico. At ITAS, Patricia Oviedo develops strategies for the implementation of a solar energy system in the arid Mixteca region of the country.

How can the transformation to a climate-neutral energy system succeed? The contributions in TATuP 3/2019 address the question of how to generate and communicate knowledge about possible future paths.

The decarbonization of the transport sector is a great challenge of the energy transition. Researchers from the ENavi Kopernikus project have submitted a final report analyzing key transformation paths and providing recommendations for action.

The compact review of activities and research results of TAB in 2018 is available online.

The new TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 181 focuses on the potential of algae-based fuels for truck traffic. However, other fuels and their respective propulsion systems are also addressed.

The TAB-Sensor Nr. 2 illustrates the results of a nationwide representative survey on the benefits of health apps and on possible fields of action from the point of view of the population.

Armin Grunwald and a team of researchers have analyzed the reasons and forms of discrimination by algorithms. Their whitepaper calls, among other things, for an independent supervisory authority for artificial intelligence.

To effectively counter the climate crisis at current emission levels, people in Germany would need to limit themselves to six hours of work a week in the future. This is the conclusion drawn by Philipp Frey in his study “The Ecological Limits of Work”.

Applications of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have become increasingly important in many private and professional contexts in recent years. The TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 180 on status quo, challenges and future developments in this field has now been published.

The TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 184 is now available for the political debate of the German Bundestag in the run-up to the forthcoming decision on the future of prenatal diagnostics.

Technology assessment (TA) has to deal with the conflict between commitment and neutrality. The current TATuP issue 1/2019 questions the myth of neutrality in TA and wants to further the debate on its normative aspects.

Worldwide effects of technologies require a Technology Assessment (TA) beyond national borders. This provides the starting point for the edited book, which examines TA activities across the globe also regarding common approaches to global challenges.

Researchers of the ABIDA project conducted a nationwide survey in Germany on opinions towards big data applications in practice. One of the results: Automated decisions are mostly rejected irrespective of demographic characteristics or personal values.